Willard f



(No Modem W P LEWIS TROLLEY.

No. 427,333. Patented May 6, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLARD F. LE\VIS, OF SIVAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRDTO FRANK F. STANLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 427,333, dated May 6,1890.

Application filed March 7,1890. Serial No. 342,970. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. LEWIS, of Swampscott, county of Essex,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Trolleys, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to electric-railway systems of that class knownas the overhead system. in which the electric power is taken from atrolley-wire and conveyed to the motor on the car by means of atrolley-pole.

In the overhead system of electric railways as 110w commonly constructedconsiderable difficult-y is experienced when the overhead trolley-wireis carried across a railroad-track, inasmuch as the trolley-wire isbroken or disconnected to permit the railroad-gate eX- tended across thestreet or roadway when closed to be elevated into its upright positionwhen the gate is opened. The current to the electric motor on the car isbroken when the trolley-wheel passes by the broken space in thetrolley-wire, thereby giving rise to accidents.

This invention has for its object to provide apparatus by means of whichthe current or electricity may be continuously supplied to the motorwhen the car is passing over a railroad-track, and I accomplish my object, as herein shown, by providing the trolley-pole with an independentarm carrying a trolleywheel, the said independent arm being made shorterthan that portion of the pole beyond the junction of the said arm withthe said pole.

The particular features in which my invention consists will be pointedout in the claim at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 represents a sufficient portion of I an electric-railway systemembodying my invention to enable it to be understood, the electric carbeing shown in two positions, one just previous to crossing therailroad-track and the other partially over the said track. Fig. 2 is atop or plan view of the portion of the trolley-wire located above therailwaytrack, and Fig. 3 a detail to be referred to.

The trolley-wire a, located above the roadbed and supported in usualmanner from spanwires secured to posts a, located at the sides of theroad-bed, may be of any usual construction. That portion of thetrolley-wire a located above the railway-track and marked 2 in Fig. 1 isherein shown as carried up higher than the main portion of thetrolley-wire (marked The portion 2 of the trolley-wi re above therailway-track and substantially in the path of movement of therailway-gate a (see Fig. 3) is carried out to the side of the road toform a loop I), as clearly shown in Fig. 2, there being one such loopfor each gate (L The loop I) may, and preferably will, be an independentwire or conductor electrically connected to the sections of thetrolley-wire on opposite sides of the break therein; but it may form anintegral part of the said wire. It will thus be seen that the circuit ofthe trolley-wire across the railroad-track is unbroken.

In order that the current may be taken continuously from thetrolley-wire and supplied to the motor on the car I) when the car ispassing over the railroad-track, I have provided the usual trolley-pole19 having at its end the trolley-wheel 19 with an arm I), having atrolley-wheel 5 The arm 19 is secured to the trolley-pole Z9 and thetrolley-wheels b b are both electrically connected in any usual mannerwith the motor on the car.

The trolley-arm b is made shorter than that I portion of thetrolley-pole 6 beyond the point at which the said arm is secured to thesaid pole, so that when the car I) is running on the main portion of theroad the trolley-Wheel b is in contact with the trolley-wire a, and thecurrent is supplied to the motor on the car through the arm 11 and pole17 When the electric car is passing over. the railroad-crossing, thetrolley-pole b which is pivotally supported in any usual manner to thetop of the car, is turned from the oblique position shown at the rightin Fig. 1, to a more nearly vertical position, as shown at the left inFig. 1, so that when the trolley-Wheels are passing by the break in thetrolley-wire one wheel, as 11 will be in contact with the portion of thetrolley-wire on one side of the break, and the trolley-Wheel b will bein contact with the portion of the trolley-wire on the other side of thebreak, so that the current from the trolley-wire is suppliedcontinuously to the motor on the car.

As herein shown, the trolley-wheel b will be in contact with thetrolley-Wire until the break is reached; but as soon as the break in thetrolley-wire is reached in the travel of the car the trolley-wheel Z7will be brought into contact with the trolley-wire just before thetrolley-Wheel 71 leaves or breaks contact with the said Wire, and whenthe trolleywheel b passes by the break in the trolleywire the Wheel 11will at such time be in contact with the said trolley-wire. It will thusbe seen that the circuit of the motor will always be complete betweenthe trolley-wheel and the trolley-wire as the car is passing across arailroad-track, and the gates a are free to be operated in the usualmanner.

